Mobile device with a foldable display and method of providing user interfaces on the foldable display

ABSTRACT

A system and method for controlling presentation on a foldable display of an electronic device is provided. A foldable electronic device comprises a foldable housing including a hinge structure, a first housing structure and a second housing structure foldable and unfoldable with respect to the first housing structure about the hinge structure. The electronic device includes a processor and a memory to store instructions that cause the processor to receive a first user input to select an application program; detect a change from a folded state to an unfolded state; determine whether the selected application program has user interface size restrictions; and in the unfolded state, display a user interface of the selected application on at least a portion of the foldable display, based in part on the screen size restriction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/828,893 filed on Apr. 3, 2019.This provisional application is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to an electronic device and morespecifically, to a mobile device with a foldable display and a methodfor providing user interfaces on such a foldable display.

BACKGROUND

Mobile electronic devices, such as mobile phones are evolving to includevarious configurations. One such configuration is a foldable mobilephone including a foldable display area. The foldable display areaprovides a larger screen for interactions and the ability to displaymultiple applications at once.

SUMMARY

This disclosure provides an apparatus and method for a user interface.The apparatus may be an electronic device with a foldable display thatcan provide a user interface for controlling presentation ofapplications depending on application type, device context, or timebetween when the device changes screen sizes.

In a first embodiment, an electronic device comprising a foldablehousing including a hinge structure, a first housing structure coupledto the hinge structure and a second housing structure coupled to thehinge structure. The second housing structure is foldable and unfoldablewith respect to the first housing structure about the hinge structure.When the second housing structure is folded onto the first housingstructure the electronic device is in a folded state and when the secondhousing structure forms a substantially planar surface with the firsthousing structure the electronic device is in an unfolded state. Theelectronic device includes a foldable display including a first portionpositioned in the first housing structure and a second portionpositioned in the second housing structure. The electronic deviceincludes a processor, operatively connected to the foldable display anda memory operatively connected to the processor. The memory stores atleast one application program and stores instructions that when executedcause the processor to receive a first user input to select anapplication program; detect a change from the folded state to theunfolded state; determine whether the selected application program has auser interface size restriction; and in the unfolded state, display auser interface of the selected application on at least a portion of thefoldable display, based in part on the screen size restriction.

In a second embodiment, an electronic device comprising a foldablehousing including a hinge structure, a first housing structure coupledto the hinge structure and a second housing structure coupled to thehinge structure. The second housing structure is foldable and unfoldablewith respect to the first housing structure about the hinge structure.When the second housing structure is folded onto the first housingstructure the electronic device is in a folded state and when the secondhousing structure forms a substantially planar surface with the firsthousing structure the electronic device is in an unfolded state. Theelectronic device includes a foldable display including a first portionpositioned in the first housing structure and a second portionpositioned in the second housing structure. The electronic deviceincludes a processor, operatively connected to the foldable display atleast one sensor operatively connected to the processor and a memoryoperatively connected to the processor. The memory stores instructionsthat when executed cause the processor to receive a first user inputthat causes a first user interface to be displayed in the folded state;detect a change from the folded state to the unfolded state; select asecond user interface based at least partly on at least one contextparameter; and in the unfolded state, display the first user interfaceand the second user interface on at least a portion of the foldabledisplay.

In a third embodiment, an electronic device comprising a foldablehousing including a hinge structure, a first housing structure coupledto the hinge structure and a second housing structure coupled to thehinge structure. The second housing structure is foldable and unfoldablewith respect to the first housing structure about the hinge structure.When the second housing structure is folded onto the first housingstructure the electronic device is in a folded state and when the secondhousing structure forms a substantially planar surface with the firsthousing structure the electronic device is in an unfolded state. Theelectronic device includes a foldable display including a first portionpositioned in the first housing structure and a second portionpositioned in the second housing structure. The electronic deviceincludes a processor, operatively connected to the foldable display anda memory operatively connected to the processor. The memory stores atleast one application program and stores instructions that when executedby the processor cause the processor to display a first user interfacein a first size of a first application program on the foldable displayin the unfolded state; detect a first change from the unfolded state tothe folded state; after detecting the first change, detect a secondchange from the folded state to the unfolded state; after detecting thesecond change, determine a length of time between the first change andthe second change; if the length of time is within a selected period oftime, display the first user interface int eh first size on the foldabledisplay in the unfolded state; if the length of time exceeds theselected period of time, display the first user interface in a secondsize different from the first size on the foldable display in theunfolded state, or not display the first user interface on the foldabledisplay in the unfolded state.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may beadvantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases usedthroughout this patent document. The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and“communicate,” as well as derivatives thereof, encompass both direct andindirect communication. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well asderivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” isinclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well asderivatives thereof, means to include, be included within, interconnectwith, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to orwith, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, beproximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, have arelationship to or with, or the like.

Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented orsupported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed fromcomputer readable program code and embodied in a computer readablemedium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or morecomputer programs, software components, sets of instructions,procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or aportion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computerreadable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code”includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code,and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes anytype of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as readonly memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, acompact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type ofmemory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired,wireless, optical, or other communication links that transporttransitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computerreadable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored andmedia where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as arewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device.

As used here, terms and phrases such as “have,” “may have,” “include,”or “may include” a feature (like a number, function, operation, orcomponent such as a part) indicate the existence of the feature and donot exclude the existence of other features. Also, as used here, thephrases “A or B,” “at least one of A and/or B,” or “one or more of Aand/or B” may include all possible combinations of A and B. For example,“A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” and “at least one of A or B” mayindicate all of (1) including at least one A, (2) including at least oneB, or (3) including at least one A and at least one B.

As used here, the terms “first” and “second” may modify variouscomponents regardless of importance and do not limit the components.These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Forexample, a first user device and a second user device may indicatedifferent user devices from each other, regardless of the order orimportance of the devices. A first component may be denoted a secondcomponent and vice versa without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure.

It will be understood that, when an element (such as a first element) isreferred to as being (operatively or communicatively) “coupled with/to”or “connected with/to” another element (such as a second element), itcan be coupled or connected with/to the other element directly or via athird element. In contrast, it will be understood that, when an element(such as a first element) is referred to as being “directly coupledwith/to” or “directly connected with/to” another element (such as asecond element), no other element (such as a third element) intervenesbetween the element and the other element.

As used here, the phrase “configured (or set) to” may be interchangeablyused with the phrases “suitable for,” “having the capacity to,”“designed to,” “adapted to,” “made to,” or “capable of” depending on thecircumstances. The phrase “configured (or set) to” does not essentiallymean “specifically designed in hardware to.” Rather, the phrase“configured to” may mean that a device can perform an operation togetherwith another device or parts. For example, the phrase “processorconfigured (or set) to perform A, B, and C” may mean a generic-purposeprocessor (such as a CPU or application processor) that may perform theoperations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memorydevice or a dedicated processor (such as an embedded processor) forperforming the operations.

The terms and phrases as used here are provided merely to describe someembodiments of this disclosure but not to limit the scope of otherembodiments of this disclosure. It is to be understood that the singularforms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. All terms and phrases, including technicaland scientific terms and phrases, used here have the same meanings ascommonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which theembodiments of this disclosure belong. It will be further understoodthat terms and phrases, such as those defined in commonly-useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined here. In some cases, the terms and phrases definedhere may be interpreted to exclude embodiments of this disclosure.

Examples of an “electronic device” according to embodiments of thisdisclosure may include at least one of a smartphone, a tablet personalcomputer (PC), a mobile phone, a video phone, an e-book reader, adesktop PC, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a workstation, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), anMP3 player, a mobile medical device, a camera, or a wearable device(such as smart glasses, a head-mounted device (HMD), electronic clothes,an electronic bracelet, an electronic necklace, an electronic accessory,an electronic tattoo, a smart mirror, or a smart watch). Other examplesof an electronic device include a smart home appliance. Examples of thesmart home appliance may include at least one of a television, a digitalvideo disc (DVD) player, an audio player, a refrigerator, an airconditioner, a cleaner, an oven, a microwave oven, a washer, a drier, anair cleaner, a set-top box, a home automation control panel, a securitycontrol panel, a TV box (such SAMSUNG HOMESYNC, APPLETV, or GOOGLE TV),a gaming console (such as an XBOX, PLAYSTATION, or NINTENDO), anelectronic dictionary, an electronic key, a camcorder, or an electronicpicture frame. Still other examples of an electronic device include atleast one of various medical devices (such as diverse portable medicalmeasuring devices (like a blood sugar measuring device, a heartbeatmeasuring device, or a body temperature measuring device), a magneticresource angiography (MRA) device, a magnetic resource imaging (MRI)device, a computed tomography (CT) device, an imaging device, or anultrasonic device), a navigation device, a global positioning system(GPS) receiver, an event data recorder (EDR), a flight data recorder(FDR), an automotive infotainment device, a sailing electronic device(such as a sailing navigation device or a gyro compass), avionics,security devices, vehicular head units, industrial or home robots,automatic teller machines (ATMs), point of sales (POS) devices, orInternet of Things (IoT) devices (such as a bulb, various sensors,electric or gas meter, sprinkler, fire alarm, thermostat, street light,toaster, fitness equipment, hot water tank, heater, or boiler). Otherexamples of an electronic device include at least one part of a piece offurniture or building/structure, an electronic board, an electronicsignature receiving device, a projector, or various measurement devices(such as devices for measuring water, electricity, gas, orelectromagnetic waves). Note that, according to embodiments of thisdisclosure, an electronic device may be one or a combination of theabove-listed devices. According to some embodiments of this disclosure,the electronic device may be a flexible electronic device. Theelectronic device disclosed here is not limited to the above-listeddevices and may include new electronic devices depending on thedevelopment of technology.

In the following description, electronic devices are described withreference to the accompanying drawings, according to embodiments of thisdisclosure. As used here, the term “user” may denote a human or anotherdevice (such as an artificial intelligent electronic device) using theelectronic device.

Definitions for other certain words and phrases may be providedthroughout this patent document. Those of ordinary skill in the artshould understand that in many if not most instances, such definitionsapply to prior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

None of the description in this application should be read as implyingthat any particular element, step, or function is an essential elementthat must be included in the claim scope. The scope of patented subjectmatter is defined only by the claims. Moreover, none of the claims isintended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the exact words “means for”are followed by a participle. Use of any other term, including withoutlimitation “mechanism,” “module,” “device,” “unit,” “component,”“element,” “member,” “apparatus,” “machine,” “system,” “processor,” or“controller,” within a claim is understood by the Applicant to refer tostructures known to those skilled in the relevant art and is notintended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its advantages,reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a network environment according to anembodiment of this disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example electronic device according to anembodiment of this disclosure;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate examples of a front view of a foldableelectronic device with a foldable display according to embodiments ofthis disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example for how applications can restrict thedisplay sizes that are supported in a manifest file according toembodiments of this disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a feature flaw when a user interface ofan application which is sized for a particular screen size or aspectratio maintains that size or aspect ratio when a foldable electronicdevice is opened according to embodiments of this disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example display of an application's user interfaceon the non-foldable display and based on size restrictions, the userinterface of the application may be displayed on the entire or partialportion of the foldable display according to embodiments of thisdisclosure;

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E illustrate examples of how user interfacesof applications are displayed based on contextual information accordingto embodiments of this disclosure;

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D illustrate examples of multi-touch inputs forchanging from a dual screen view to a full screen view according toembodiments of this disclosure;

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D illustrate examples for moving from a threescreen view to a two screen view where the starting point of themulti-touch input gesture indicates which application to retainaccording to embodiments of this disclosure;

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E and 1OF illustrate examples for amulti-touch input gesture swap of positions for the applicationsaccording to embodiments of this disclosure;

FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D illustrate examples of multi-touch inputgestures to go into an overview state according to embodiments of thisdisclosure;

FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D illustrate examples of multi-touch inputgestures to bring back the last application that was closed according toembodiments of this disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram that illustrates an example method for a userinterface of an application to be fully or partially displayed on afoldable display based on a time duration since an electronic device waslast opened according to embodiments of this disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram that illustrates an example method displayinga user interface of an application either fully or partially on thefoldable display according to embodiments of this disclosure; and

FIG. 15 is a block diagram that illustrates an example method ofdisplaying a user interface of an application on the non-foldabledisplay or the foldable display according to embodiments of thisdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 through 15 discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of this disclosure in this patent document areby way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way tolimit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art willunderstand that the principles of this disclosure can be implemented inany suitably arranged system.

This disclosure generally provides an apparatus and method for a userinterface. According to embodiments of this disclosure an electronicdevice is a mobile device with a foldable display that can provide auser interface for controlling and displaying applications depending onapplication type, device context, or time between the device changesscreen sizes.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a network environment 100 according toan embodiment of this disclosure. The embodiment of the networkenvironment 100 shown in FIG. 1 is for illustration only. Otherembodiments of the network environment 100 could be used withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronicdevice 101 is included in a network environment 100. The electronicdevice 101 can include at least one of a bus 110, a processor 120, amemory 130, an input/output (IO) interface 150, a display 160, acommunication interface 170, or sensors 180. In some embodiments, theelectronic device 101 can exclude at least one of the components or canadd another component.

The bus 110 includes a circuit for connecting the components 120 to 170with one another and transferring communications (e.g., control messagesand/or data) between the components.

The processor 120 includes one or more of a central processing unit(CPU), an application processor (AP), or a communication processor (CP).The processor 120 is able to perform control on at least one of theother components of the electronic device 101, and/or perform anoperation or data processing relating to communication.

For example, the processor 120 is able to detect the device state of theelectronic device 101. The processor 120 can detect when the foldableelectronic device 101 is in a folded or closed state. The processor 120is also able to detect when the foldable electronic device 101 is in anunfolded or open state. For example, the processor 120 can to receiveinformation from a variety of sensors and use the information todetermine whether or not the electronic device 101 is in a closed state.

The processor 120 is able to receive an input selection of anapplication and determine how to display the user interface of theapplication on a foldable display of the electronic device 101. Theprocessor 120 can also determine how to display multiple user interfacesof multiple applications on the foldable display of the electronicdevice 101. The processor 120 can receive input to rearrange andmanipulate the display of the user interfaces of the applications andrespond. The processor 120 responds to the input by rearranging andreformatting the display of the user interfaces of the applications onthe foldable display of the electronic device 101. The processor is alsoable to determine an amount of time between the electronic device 101going from an unfolded state to a folded state and back to an unfoldedstate in order to determine a display configuration for the foldabledisplay of the electronic device 101.

The memory 130 can include a volatile and/or non-volatile memory. Forexample, the memory 130 can store commands or data related to at leastone other component of the electronic device 101. In variousembodiments, the memory 130 can store spatial map data that can includemapping information of a real environment such as the interior of anoffice building, mall, house, amusement park, neighborhood or any otherreal world or virtual world mapping information utilized by anapplication 147 on the electronic device 101. According to an embodimentof the present disclosure, the memory 130 stores software and/or aprogram 140. The program 140 includes, e.g., a kernel 141, middleware143, an application programming interface (API) 145, and/or anapplication program (or “application”) 147. At least a portion of thekernel 141, middleware 143, or API 145 can be denoted an operatingsystem (OS).

For example, the kernel 141 can control or manage system resources(e.g., the bus 110, processor 120, or a memory 130) used to performoperations or functions implemented in other programs (e.g., themiddleware 143, API 145, or application program 147). The kernel 141provides an interface that allows the middleware 143, the API 145, orthe application 147 to access the individual components of theelectronic device 101 to control or manage the system resources.

The middleware 143 can function as a relay to allow the API 145 or theapplication 147 to communicate data with the kernel 141, for example. Aplurality of applications 147 can be provided. The middleware 143 isable to control work requests received from the applications 147, e.g.,by allocating the priority of using the system resources of theelectronic device 101 (e.g., the bus 110, the processor 120, or thememory 130) to at least one of the plurality of applications 147.

The API 145 is an interface allowing the application 147 to controlfunctions provided from the kernel 141 or the middleware 143. Forexample, the API 145 includes at least one interface or function (e.g.,a command) for filing control, window control, image processing, or textcontrol.

The IO interface 150 serve as an interface that can, e.g., transfercommands or data input from a user or other external devices to othercomponent(s) of the electronic device 101. Further, the IO interface 150can output commands or data received from other component(s) of theelectronic device 101 to the user or the other external device.

The display 160 includes, e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a lightemitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED)display, or a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) display, or anelectronic paper display. The display 160 is able to display, e.g.,various contents (e.g., text, images, videos, icons, or symbols) to theuser. The display 160 can include a touchscreen and may receive, e.g., atouch, gesture, proximity or hovering input using an electronic pen or abody portion of the user.

For example, the communication interface 170 is able to set upcommunication between the electronic device 101 and an externalelectronic device (e.g., a first electronic device 102, a secondexternal electronic device 104, or a server 106). For example, thecommunication interface 170 can be connected with the network 162 or 164through wireless or wired communication to communicate with the externalelectronic device. The communication interface 170 can be a wired orwireless transceiver or any other component for transmitting andreceiving signals, such as video feeds or video streams.

Electronic device 101 further includes one or more sensors 180 that canmeter a physical quantity or detect an activation state of theelectronic device 101 and convert metered or detected information intoan electrical signal. For example, sensor 180 can include one or morebuttons for touch input, a camera, a gesture sensor, a gyroscope or gyrosensor, an air pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor or magnetometer, anacceleration sensor or accelerometer, a depth or distance sensor, a gripsensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor (e.g., a red green blue (RGB)sensor), a bio-physical sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor,an illumination sensor, an ultraviolet (UV) sensor, an electromyography(EMG) sensor, an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, an electrocardiogram(ECG) sensor, an IR sensor, an ultrasound sensor, an iris sensor, afingerprint sensor, etc. The sensor(s) 180 can further include a controlcircuit for controlling at least one of the sensors included therein.Any of these sensor(s) 180 can be located within the electronic device101. In some embodiments, a camera sensor 180 can capture a plurality offrames for a single image to be combined by the processor 120. In someembodiments, the illumination sensor180 can capture ambient light datato be processed by the processor 120 to determine whether the electronicdevice is in a folded or unfolded state. In some embodiments, sensor(s)180 can include sensors that can detect movement or location of thehinge. The processor 120 can use the hinge position information todetermine whether the electronic device is in a folded or unfoldedstate.

The wireless communication is able to use at least one of, e.g., longterm evolution (LTE), long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A), 5thgeneration wireless system (5G), mm-wave or 60 GHz wirelesscommunication, Wireless USB, code division multiple access (CDMA),wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), universal mobiletelecommunication system (UMTS), wireless broadband (WiBro), or globalsystem for mobile communication (GSM), as a cellular communicationprotocol. The wired connection can include at least one of universalserial bus (USB), high definition multimedia interface (HDMI),recommended standard 232 (RS-232), or plain old telephone service(POTS).

The network 162 includes at least one of communication networks.Examples of communication include a computer network (e.g., local areanetwork (LAN) or wide area network (WAN)), Internet, or a telephonenetwork.

The first and second external electronic devices 102 and 104 and server106 each can be a device of the same or a different type from theelectronic device 101. According to certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the server 106 includes a group of one or more servers.According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, all or someof operations executed on the electronic device 101 can be executed onanother or multiple other electronic devices (e.g., the electronicdevices 102 and 104 or server 106). According to certain embodiments ofthe present disclosure, when the electronic device 101 should performsome function or service automatically or at a request, the electronicdevice 101, instead of executing the function or service on its own oradditionally, can request another device (e.g., electronic devices 102and 104 or server 106) to perform at least some functions associatedtherewith. The other electronic device (e.g., electronic devices 102 and104 or server 106) is able to execute the requested functions oradditional functions and transfer a result of the execution to theelectronic device 101. The electronic device 101 can provide a requestedfunction or service by processing the received result as it is oradditionally. To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, orclient-server computing technique can be used, for example.

Although FIG. 1 shows that the electronic device 101 includes thecommunication interface 170 to communicate with the external electronicdevice 104 or server 106 via the network 162, the electronic device 101can be independently operated without a separate communication function,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The server 106 can support to drive the electronic device 101 byperforming at least one of operations (or functions) implemented on theelectronic device 101. For example, the server 106 can include aprocessing module or processor that may support the processor 120implemented in the electronic device 101.

For example, the electronic device 101 can include an event processingmodule, such as within processor 120. The event processing module canprocess at least part of information obtained from other elements (e.g.,the processor 120, the memory 130, the input/output interface 150, orthe communication interface 170) and can provide the same to the user invarious manners. The server event processing module can include at leastone of the components of the event processing module and perform (orinstead perform) at least one of the operations (or functions) conductedby the event processing module.

The event processing module can be separate from the processor 120 or atleast a portion of the event processing module can be included orimplemented in the processor 120 or at least one other module, or theoverall function of the event processing module can be included orimplemented in the processor 120 shown or another processor. The eventprocessing module can perform operations according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure in interoperation with at least one program 140stored in the memory 130.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example electronic device 200 according to anembodiment of this disclosure. In some embodiments, the electronicdevice 200 is useable with data transfer applications, such providingand receiving information from a server. The electronic device can be aTV (such as SAMSUNG SMART)TV®. The electronic device 200 can be adigital video disc (DVD) player, a TV box (such SAMSUNG HOMESYNC,APPLETV, or GOOGLE TV), a gaming console (such as an XBOX, PLAYSTATION,or NINTENDO), or any of the other types of electronic devices describedabove. The electronic device 200 can be a mobile communication device,such as, for example, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a wirelessterminal, a desktop computer, a portable electronic device, and thelike. The electronic device 200 can be a foldable electronic device thatincludes a foldable display.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device 200 includes an antenna 205, acommunication unit 210, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 215, amicrophone 220, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 225. Thecommunication unit 210 can include, for example, a radio frequency (RF)transceiver, a BLUETOOTH transceiver, a WI-FI transceiver, a ZIGBEEtransceiver, an infrared transceiver, and the like. The electronicdevice 200 also includes a speaker 230, a processor 240, an input/output(I/O) interface (IF) 245, an input 250, a display 255, a memory 260, anda sensor(s) 265. The memory 260 includes an operating system (OS) 261and one or more applications 262.

The communication unit 210 receives, from the antenna 205, an incomingRF signal transmitted from an access point (such as a base station,WI-FI router, or Bluetooth device) or other device of a network (such asa WI-FI, Bluetooth, cellular, 5G, LTE, LTE-A, WiMAX, or any other typeof wireless network). The communication unit 210 down-converts theincoming RF signal to generate an intermediate frequency or basebandsignal. The intermediate frequency or baseband signal is sent to the RXprocessing circuitry 225 that generates a processed baseband signal byfiltering, decoding, and/or digitizing the baseband or intermediatefrequency signal. The RX processing circuitry 225 transmits theprocessed baseband signal to the speaker 230 (such as for voice data) orto the processor 240 for further processing (such as for web browsingdata).

The TX processing circuitry 215 receives analog or digital voice datafrom the microphone 220 or other outgoing baseband data from theprocessor 240. The outgoing baseband data can include web data, e-mail,or interactive video game data. The TX processing circuitry 215 encodes,multiplexes, and/or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate aprocessed baseband or intermediate frequency signal. The communicationunit 210 receives the outgoing processed baseband or intermediatefrequency signal from the TX processing circuitry 215 and up-convertsthe baseband or intermediate frequency signal to an RF signal that istransmitted via the antenna 205.

The processor 240 can include one or more processors or other processingdevices. The processor 240 can execute instructions that are stored in amemory 260, such as the OS 261, in order to control the overalloperation of the electronic device 200. For example, the processor 240could control the reception of forward channel signals and thetransmission of reverse channel signals by the communication unit 210,the RX processing circuitry 225, and the TX processing circuitry 215 inaccordance with well-known principles. The processor 240 can include anysuitable number(s) and type(s) of processors or other devices in anysuitable arrangement. For example, in some embodiments, the processor240 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller. Exampletypes of processor 240 include microprocessors, microcontrollers,digital signal processors, field programmable gate arrays, applicationspecific integrated circuits, and discreet circuitry

The processor 240 is also capable of executing other processes andprograms resident in the memory 260, such as operations that receive,store, and timely instruct by providing an input into a neural network.The processor 240 can move data into or out of the memory 260 asrequired by an executing process. In some embodiments, the processor 240is configured to execute a plurality of applications 262 based on the OS261 or in response to signals received from external source(s) or anoperator. Example applications 262 can include a camera application (forstill images and videos), a video phone call application, an emailclient, a social media client, an SMS messaging client, a virtualassistant, and the like. The processor 240 is also coupled to the I/Ointerface 245 that provides the electronic device 200 with the abilityto connect to other devices. The I/O interface 245 is the communicationpath between these accessories and the processor 240.

The processor 240 is also coupled to the input 250 and the displays 255.The operator of the electronic device 200 can use the input 250 to enterdata or inputs into the electronic device 200. Input 250 can be akeyboard, touch screen, mouse, track ball, voice input, or other devicecapable of acting as a user interface to allow a user in interact withelectronic device 200. For example, the input 250 can include voicerecognition processing, thereby allowing a user to input a voicecommand. As another example, the input 250 can include a touch panel, a(digital) pen sensor, a key, or an ultrasonic input device. The touchpanel can recognize, for example, a touch input in at least one scheme,such as a capacitive scheme, a pressure sensitive scheme, an infraredscheme, or an ultrasonic scheme. Input 250 can be associated withsensor(s) 265 and/or a camera by providing additional input to processor240. In some embodiments, the sensor 265 includes one or more inertialmeasurement units (IMUS) (such as accelerometers, gyroscope, andmagnetometer), motion sensors, optical sensors, cameras, pressuresensors, heart rate sensors, altimeter, and the like. The input 250 canalso include a control circuit. In the capacitive scheme, the input 250can recognize touch or proximity. The processor 240 is able to receivethe input 250 selection of an application and determine how to displaythe user interface of the application on the displays 255 of theelectronic device 200. The processor 240 can also determine how todisplay multiple user interfaces of multiple applications on thedisplays 255 of the electronic device 200. The processor 240 can receiveinput to rearrange and manipulate the display of the user interfaces ofthe applications and respond. The processor 240 responds to the input byrearranging and reformatting the display of the user interfaces of theapplications on the displays 255 of the electronic device 200.

The electronic device includes one or more displays 255 that can be aliquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display,organic LED (OLED), active matrix OLED (AMOLED), or other displaycapable of rendering text and/or graphics, such as from websites,videos, games, images, and the like. At least one display 255 is afoldable display that is capable of enfolding into a closed state. Thefoldable display can have two portions, a first portion and a secondportion, such that the foldable display is in a folded or closed statewhen the first portion and the second portion face each other or face inopposite directions. The foldable display is in an unfolded or openstate, when the first portion and the second portion form asubstantially planar surface. The foldable display is capable ofpresenting for display one or more user interfaces of applications asexecuted by the processor 240.

The memory 260 is coupled to the processor 240. Part of the memory 260could include a RAM, and another part of the memory 260 could include aFlash memory or other ROM. The memory 260 can include persistent storage(not shown) that represents any structure(s) capable of storing andfacilitating retrieval of information (such as data, program code,and/or other suitable information). The memory 260 can contain one ormore components or devices supporting longer-term storage of data, suchas a read only memory, hard drive, Flash memory, or optical disc.

The electronic device 200 further includes one or more sensors 265 thatcan meter a physical quantity or detect an activation state of theelectronic device 200 and convert metered or detected information intoan electrical signal. The sensors 265 can detect when the electronicdevice is going from an open, or unfolded, state to a closed, or folded,state. For example, the sensor 265 can include one or more buttons for atouch input, a camera, a gesture sensor, an IMU sensors (such as agyroscope or gyro sensor and an accelerometer), an air pressure sensor,a magnetic sensor or magnetometer, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, acolor sensor, a bio-physical sensor, a temperature/humidity sensor, anillumination sensor, an Ultraviolet (UV) sensor, an Electromyography(EMG) sensor, an Electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, an Electrocardiogram(ECG) sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, an ultrasound sensor, an irissensor, a fingerprint sensor, and the like. The sensors 265 can includea location sensor, such as a Global Positioning Sensor (GPS). Thesensors 265 can further include control circuits for controlling any ofthe sensors included therein. Any of these sensor(s) 165 can be locatedwithin the electronic device 200.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates examples of electronic devices, variouschanges can be made to FIG. 2. For example, various components in FIG. 2could be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additionalcomponents could be added according to particular needs. As a particularexample, the processor 240 could be divided into multiple processors,such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or moregraphics processing units (GPUs). In addition, electronic devices cancome in a wide variety of configurations, and FIG. 2 does not limit thisdisclosure to any particular electronic device.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate examples of a front view and back view of afoldable electronic device 300 with a foldable display according toembodiments of this disclosure. The embodiment of the foldableelectronic device 300 with a foldable display as shown in FIGS. 3A and3B are for illustration only and other embodiments could be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. According toembodiments of this disclosure a foldable electronic device 300 is thesame as the electronic device 200 and the foldable electronic device 300is understood to be a mobile phone. According to embodiments of thisdisclosure, the terms foldable electronic device and electronic deviceare used interchangeably when referring to the systems and methods fordisplaying applications on a foldable display.

Referring to non-limiting examples of FIGS. 3A and 3B, a foldableelectronic device 300 comprises a foldable housing 350 including a hingestructure 355, a first housing structure 360 and a second housingstructure 365. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the firsthousing structure 360 and the second housing structure 365 are coupledto the hinge structure 355 such that the second housing structure 365 isfoldable and unfoldable with respect to the first housing structure 360about the hinge structure 355. The foldable electronic device 300 is anoutfolding type of foldable device such that the first housing structure360 and the second housing structure 365 can rotate up to 360° about thehinge structure 355. The first housing structure includes a firstsurface 361 and a second surface 362 which faces away from the firstsurface 361. The second housing structure 365 includes a third surface366 and a fourth surface 367 which faces away from the third surface366. When the foldable housing 350 is in a folded state, or closed, thefirst surface 361 faces the third surface 366 so as to not be exposed tothe outside. The second housing structure 365 is folded onto the firsthousing structure 360 in the folded state. According to embodiments ofthis disclosure, the foldable housing 350 can also be in a folded state,or closed, when the fourth surface 367 faces the second surface 362 soas to not be exposed to the outside.

The foldable housing 350 is in an unfolded state, or open when the firstsurface 361 and third surface 366 no longer substantially face eachother so as to not be exposed to the outside and the first surface 361and third surface 366 generally face in the same direction, forming aplanar surface. The second housing structure 365 forms a substantiallyplanar surface with the first housing structure 360 in the unfoldedstate. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the second surface362 and the fourth surface 367 also generally face in the samedirection, forming a planar surface in an unfolded state. A foldabledisplay 320 is positioned on the foldable housing 350 on the firstsurface 361 and the third surface 366. According to embodiments of thisdisclosure, the foldable display 320 can be positioned in the foldablehousing 350 such that the foldable display 320 is facing externally wheneither the first housing structure 360 or the second housing structure365 folds open 360° about the hinge 355.

According to embodiments of this disclosure a foldable display 320includes a first portion 321 and a second portion 322. The first portion321 is positioned in the first housing structure 360 and the secondportion 322 is positioned in the second housing structure 365. The firstportion of the display 321 and the second portion of the display 322form a portion of the first surface 361 and the third surface 366.

According to embodiments of this disclosure, a non-foldable display 315is positioned in the first housing structure 360 on the second surface362.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIG. 3A a front folded view 305of the foldable electronic device 300 comprises a non-foldable display315 disposed to face an exterior when the foldable electronic device 300is in a folded or closed state. According to embodiments of thisdisclosure the non-foldable display 315 can also face an interior whenthe foldable electronic device 300 is in a closed or folded state, suchthat the foldable display 320 is disposed to face the exterior.According to embodiments of this disclosure, when the foldableelectronic device 300 is in a folded state it may also be referred to asbeing in mobile mode or closed. The non-foldable display 315 is disposedon the second surface 362. The non-foldable display 315 is not limitedto positioning on the first housing structure 360, and second surface362, but could also be positioned in the second housing structure 365 onthe fourth surface 367.

FIG. 3A illustrates that when the foldable electronic device 300 isopened a foldable display 320, which encompasses the full width andheight of the foldable electronic device 300 when unfolded, is visible.The foldable display 320 comprises the first portion 321 and the secondportion 322. The first portion 321 is disposed on the first surface 361and the second portion 322 is disposed on the third surface 366.According to embodiments of this disclosure, when the foldableelectronic device 300 is in an unfolded state it may be referred to asbeing in tablet mode or open. In certain embodiments, a viewable size ofthe non-foldable display 315 is different than a viewable size of thefoldable display 320. In certain embodiments, an aspect ratio, namely aratio of a width to height of the screen, of the non-foldable display315 is different than an aspect ratio of the foldable display 320.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIG. 3B a rear unfolded view325 of the foldable electronic device 300 comprises the non-foldabledisplay 315 and an exterior rear surface 335 disposed beside thenon-foldable display 315 and facing the same direction. The exteriorrear surface 335 is disposed on the fourth surface 367. The exteriorrear surface 335 may include cameras 340 and other sensors 345. A rearfolded view 330 of the foldable electronic device 300 comprises theexterior rear surface 335 which is disposed to face in the oppositedirection of the non-foldable display 315.

Applications for mobile devices, as written by developers, may containscreen size restrictions. The screen size restrictions may limit theability for a mobile device to download a particular application. Screensize restrictions also present problems when a mobile device hasmultiple screens. There exists no good solution, or user interface, todisplay applications on a mobile device with multiple display sizes.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example for how applications can restrict thedisplay sizes that are supported in a manifest file according toembodiments of this disclosure. The example manifest file as shown inFIG. 4 is for illustration only and other embodiments could be usedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIG. 4, a developer of anapplication can restrict the screen size of a user interface of anapplication to fit one or more of a small screen, a normal screen, alarge screen, or an extra large screen in a manifest file of theapplication. Downloading an application to an electronic device 300 maybe prevented if the electronic device 300 does not have the adequatescreen size or aspect ratio for display of the application. A smallscreen or normal screen layout would correspond with the foldableelectronic device 300 displaying in mobile mode using the non-foldabledisplay 315. A large screen or extra large screen layout wouldcorrespond to the foldable electronic device 300 displaying in tabletmode using the foldable display 320. According to embodiments of thisdisclosure, the foldable electronic device 300 is not restricted byscreen size configurations when downloading an application because it isconfigured to display all user interface screen size configurations.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a feature flaw when a user interface ofan application that is sized for a particular screen size or aspectratio maintains that size or aspect ratio when a foldable electronicdevice 300 is opened according to embodiments of this disclosure. Theembodiment of the feature flaw as shown in FIG. 5 is for illustrationonly and other embodiments could be used without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the non-foldable display 315 has a firstaspect ratio and the foldable display 320 has a second aspect ratio thatis different than the first aspect ratio. For example, the non-foldabledisplay 315 and foldable display 320 may have a same or matching heightwhile the non-foldable display 315 may have a smaller width. In somecases, the width of the non-foldable display 315 may be half the widthof the foldable display 320. In certain embodiments, the non-foldabledisplay 315 and foldable display 320 may have a same or matching widthwhile the non-foldable display 315 may have a smaller height. In certainembodiments, the non-foldable display 315 and foldable display 320 mayhave dissimilar or non-matching heights and widths.

In the illustrated example, a lock screen 505 is displayed on thenon-foldable display 315. After a user unlocks the phone, the user canselect an icon 510 of an application program (for example, a game app)displayed on the non-foldable display 315, thereby displaying a userinterface of the application program on the non-foldable display 315.

After the user interface is displayed on the non-foldable display 315,the user can open the foldable electronic device 300 for use in theunfolded state or tablet mode. If the user interface of the applicationprogram has a screen size restriction, the user interface will bedisplayed, for example, in the center of the foldable display, 320 withremaining portion of the display rendered black. That is, the developerlimited the screen size in the manifest file to display only on a smallscreen. When the user interface of the application is presented on thelarger screen size of the foldable display, the size does not vary andthe user interface will be positioned in the center of the foldabledisplay. As illustrated, much of the interior display real estate isleft unutilized

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a foldableelectronic device 300 has the capability to download and install anyapplication for use on the foldable electronic device 300 regardless ofuser interface screen size restrictions. For example, a foldableelectronic device 300 can display the user interface of the installedapplication in the corresponding size, using either the entire orpartial display area of the foldable display 320. The size and how theapplication is displayed on the foldable display 320 is based on theapplication user interface size restrictions. In this manner, theelectronic device 300 can control the placement and sizes of userinterfaces of the applications displayed on the foldable display 320 tobest utilize the full real estate of the foldable display 320.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example display of an application's user interfaceon the non-foldable display 315 and based on size restrictions, the userinterface of the application may be displayed on the entire or partialportion of the foldable display 320 according to embodiments of thisdisclosure. The embodiment of how user interfaces of applications aredisplayed as shown in FIG. 6 is for illustration only and otherembodiments could be used without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIG. 6, a lock screen 605 isdisplayed on an exterior, non-foldable display 315. A user unlocks thephone and a home launcher, or home screen, 610 is displayed on thenon-foldable display 320. A user selects an application from the homescreen 610 and the application 615 is displayed on the non-foldabledisplay 615. The home screen 610 displays a plurality of applicationicons associated with various application programs available to beexecuted on the electronic device 300.

If the application is written such that it supports a full screenlayout, the user interface of the application 615 will adjust toencompass the full foldable display 320. That is, the first portion 321and the second portion 322 of the foldable display will display the userinterface of the application 615.

If the application 615 is written such that it does not support a fullscreen, or large, layout, the electronic device 300 is configured todisplay the home screen 610 on the first portion 321 of the foldabledisplay 320 and the user interface of the application 615 on the secondportion 322 of the foldable display 320. In this manner, the full realestate of the foldable screen may be utilized when the application isnot written to support the full screen size. According to embodiments ofthis disclosure, the positions of the home screen and the user interfaceof the application are not limited to the configuration provided andvarious changes may be made regarding how the user interface of theapplication and home screen are displayed.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E illustrate examples of how user interfacesof applications are displayed based on contextual information accordingto embodiments of this disclosure. The embodiments of how the userinterfaces of applications are displayed based on contextual informationas shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E are for illustration purposesonly and other embodiments could be used without departing from thescope of the present disclosure. In certain embodiments, the contextualinformation can be represented using at least one context parameter. Theat least one context paraments can be associated with a least one of atime, a location, information on the first application program user, auser history, a user information, a user's purchase information, or auser's calendar information. The embodiments described in connectionwith FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E can be implemented independently of theembodiments described above in connection with FIG. 6.

According to embodiments of this disclosure, a user input of a selectionof an application program is received and in response a first userinterface of the application program is displayed while the device is inthe folded state on the non-foldable display 315. The electronic device300 is configured to detect a change from the folded state to theunfolded state. A second user interface of the application program isselected based at least partly of at least one context parameterdetermined by the electronic device 300. The second user interface andthe first user interface are displayed together on at least a portion ofthe foldable display 320 in the unfolded state. According to embodimentsof this disclosure the first and second user interface are of the sameapplication program, but display different information based on thedetected context. The display of multiple user interfaces is not limitedto display of the same application, but the electronic device 300 canalso be configured to display multiple user interfaces of multipleapplication programs based on the detected context.

Referring to the non-limiting examples of FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E,the electronic device 300 is configured to display a plurality ofapplications or user interfaces on a foldable display 320. According toembodiments, the electronic device 300 is configured to present oneapplication in a larger portion of the foldable display 320 and anotherapplication in a smaller portion. The larger portion of the foldabledisplay 320 can be further subdivided into sections to display multipleapplications. Likewise, the smaller portion of the foldable display 320can be further subdivided into sections to display multiple applicationsor user interfaces. Referring to the non-limiting example of FIG. 7A, auser has selected an application 705 (for example, a navigation or mapapplication) which displays a map showing an airport. The user selectionof the application can occur when the electronic device 300 is in thefolded state. While the application 705 is being displayed on thenon-foldable display 315, the electronic device 300 can detect a contextof the electronic device and/or the application 705.

When the foldable electronic device 300 is opened to an unfolded state,the electronic device 300 can be configured to display a boarding pass710 for the user in the smaller portion of the foldable display alongwith the user interface of the application 705 in the larger portion ofthe foldable display, as illustrated in FIG. 7A.

According to embodiments, when the user is at the airport the electronicdevice 300 can be configured to determine its location with its locationsensor (such as sensor 180 from FIG. 1 or sensor 265 from FIG. 2). Thus,when the user opens the foldable device 300 to the unfolded state, theelectronic device 300 may be triggered to display the boarding passtogether with the user interface of the application program. Theelectronic device may be configured to use other methods of determininga location, including but not limited to information from beacons, knownwireless networks, cellular tower triangulation, etc.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIG. 7B, a user may be viewingan application 715 related to shopping on the non-foldable display 315.The electronic device 300 detects the context based on the shoppingapplication 715. The electronic device 300 is configured to display auser's shopping list 720 along with the shopping application 715 whenthe electronic device 300 is opened to an unfolded state. According toembodiments, the electronic device 300 may be configured to display theuser's shopping list 720 together with the shopping application 715 whenthe user enters the store associated with the shopping application 715.The electronic device 300 can determine if it is at the store with itslocation sensor (such as sensor 180 from FIG. 1 or sensor 265 from FIG.2) and when the user opens the electronic device 300 to an unfoldedstate, the electronic device may be triggered to display the shoppinglist 720 in the smaller portion of the foldable display 320 with theshopping application 715 on the larger portion of the foldable display320. According to embodiments of this disclosure the shopping list 720may be one of the views of the shopping application 715 user interface.That is, the electronic device 300 is configured to display a userinterface showing one view of an application program along with the sameuser interface showing a second view of an application program at thesame time on the foldable display 320.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIG. 7C, a user may be viewinga calendar event 725 on the non-foldable display. In this example, thecalendar event 725 is related to picking someone up from the airport.The electronic device 300 detects the context based on the calendarevent 725 and is configured display an application for directions 730(for example, a navigation or map application) along with the calendarevent 725 when the electronic device 300 is opened to an unfolded state.According to embodiments, the electronic device 300 can be configured todisplay the calendar event 725 in the smaller portion of the foldabledisplay 320 together with the application 730 in the larger portion ofthe foldable display 320.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIG. 7D, a user may be viewingan e-mail about concert tickets in an e-mail application 725 on thenon-foldable display 315. The electronic device 300 can detect thecontext based on the email application 725 and is configured to displayinformation about the concert venue 730 and the e-ticket 735 all on thefoldable display when the electronic device 300 is opened to an unfoldedstate. In this example, the electronic device 300 is configured todisplay the information about the concert venue 730 in a larger portionof the foldable display 320 and the email application 725 and thee-ticket 735 are each displayed in split screens of the smaller portionof the foldable display 320.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIG. 7E, a user may receive anotification 740 of a calendar event 745 related to dinner reservationson the non-foldable display 315. The electronic device 300 can detect acontext based on the notification 740 and the calendar event 745. Whenthe user opens the electronic device 300 to an unfolded state, arestaurant menu 745 is displayed in the larger portion of the foldabledisplay 320 along with the dinner reservations calendar event 750 in thetop portion of the smaller portion of the foldable display 320 and thereservation information 755 in the bottom portion of the smaller portionof the foldable display 320.

According to embodiments of this disclosure, the user interface of afoldable electronic device 300 is configured to receive a variety ofmulti-touch inputs that correspond to various manipulations of thepresentation of applications on the foldable display 310. Themanipulations include but are not limited to varying the applicationdisplay size, varying the application display position, entering anoverview state, and bringing back an application that was most recentlyclosed. Various examples are provided in accordance with theillustrations of FIGS. 8A though 12D. These examples are forillustration only and other embodiments could be used without departingfrom the scope of the present procedure.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D illustrate examples of multi-touch inputs forchanging from a dual screen view to a full screen view according toembodiments of this disclosure. The embodiments for changing from a dualscreen view to a full screen view shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D arefor illustration only and other embodiments could be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 8A and 8B, an electronicdevice 300 is in a non-folded state or tablet mode. In FIG. 8A, App 1and App 2 are being viewed side by side in the first portion 321 and thesecond portion 322, respectively, of the foldable display 320. A user,using a multi-touch input, places a first finger, or a first touchinput, 805 in the first portion 321 of the folded display 320, or App 1,and places a second finger, or a second touch input, 810 spaced aparthorizontally from the first touch input 805, in the second portion 322of the folded display 320, or App 2. The user moves the two fingers tothe right, signaling to the electronic device to display App 1 over thefull screen display of the foldable display 320 as illustrated in FIG.8B. That is, App 1 is displayed to encompass the first portion 321 andthe second portion 322 of the foldable display 320.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 8C and 8D, an electronicdevice 300 is in a non-folded state or tablet mode. In FIG. 8C App 1 andApp 2 are being viewed side by side in the first portion 321 and thesecond portion 322, respectively, of the foldable display 320. A user,using a multi-touch input, places a first finger, or a first touchinput, 805 in the first portion 321 of the folded display 320, or App 1and places a second finger, or a second touch input, 810 spaced apartvertically from the first touch input 805, in the first portion 321 ofthe folded display 320, or App 1. The user moves the two fingers to theright and crosses over the threshold from App 1 to App 2, signaling tothe electronic device to display App 1 over the full screen display ofthe foldable display 320 as illustrated in FIG. 8D. That is, App 1 isdisplayed to encompass the first portion 321 and the second portion 322of the foldable display 320.

According to embodiments of this disclosure, the electronic device isnot limited to the display configurations as illustrated in FIGS. 8A,8B, 8C and 8D. For example, the multi-touch gesture input can originatein App 2, or the second portion 322 of the foldable display, wherein theuser moves the fingers to the left such that the resulting full screendisplay is App 2.

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D illustrate examples for moving from a threescreen view to a two screen view where the starting point of themulti-touch input gesture indicates which application to retainaccording to embodiments of this disclosure. The embodiment for movingfrom a three screen view to a two screen view as shown in 9A, 9B, 9C and9D is for illustration only and other embodiments could be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 9A and 9B, threeapplications are displayed on the foldable display 320 of the electronicdevice 300. Although three applications are illustrated for explanation,embodiments having more than three applications could be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. App 1 is displayedin the first portion 321 of the foldable display 320, App 2 is displayedin an upper portion of the second portion 322 of the foldable display320 and App 3 is displayed in a lower portion of the second portion 322of the foldable display 320. FIG. 9A illustrates a multi-touch gestureinput comprising the user placing a first finger, or a first touchinput, 905 in the upper portion of the second portion 322 of the foldeddisplay 320, or App 2, and places a second finger, or a second touchinput, 910 spaced apart horizontally from the first touch input 905, inthe upper portion of the second portion 322 of the folded display 320,or App 2. The user slides the fingers downward into the lower portion ofthe second portion 322 of the foldable display 320, or App 3, signalingto the electronic device to display App 2 over the full portion of thesecond portion 322 of the foldable display 320. FIG. 9B illustrates theresulting configuration of App 1 being displayed in the first portion321 of the folded display 320 beside App 2, which is displayed in thesecond portion 322 of the foldable display 320.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 9C and 9D, threeapplications are displayed on the foldable display 320 of the electronicdevice 300. In this example, multi-touch gesture input comprising theuser placing two fingers, spaced apart horizontally as illustrated inFIG. 9C. The first finger, or first touch input, 915 is placed in thefirst portion 321 of the foldable display 320, or App 1. The secondfinger, or second touch input, 920 is placed in the lower portion of thesecond portion 322 of the foldable display 320, or App 3. As the userslides the fingers from right to left, the electronic device 300 isconfigured to display App 3 in the first portion 321 of the foldabledisplay 320, replacing App 1. FIG. 9D illustrates the resulting displayof App 3 in the first portion 321 of the foldable display 320 anddisplay of App 2 in the second portion 322 of the foldable display 320.

According to embodiments of this disclosure, the electronic device 300is not limited to the display configurations as illustrated in FIGS. 9A,9B, 9C and 9D. For example, the multi-touch gesture input can originatein App 2, or the upper portion of the second portion 322 of the foldabledisplay 320, wherein the user moves the fingers to the left resulting inApp 2 being displayed in the first portion 321 of the foldable display320 and App 3 being displayed in the second portion 322 of the foldabledisplay 320. In addition, the multi-touch input could originate in thefirst portion 321 of the foldable display 320, or App 1, wherein whenthe user moves the fingers to the right the resulting display would be afull screen display of App 1 on the foldable display 320. As anotherexample, the multi-touch input could originate in the first portion 321of the foldable display 320, or App 1, wherein when the user moves thefingers to the right toward the upper part of the second portion 322,App 1 moves to the App 2 position, or the upper part of the secondportion 322; App 2 moves to the App 3 position, or the lower part of thesecond portion 322; and App 3 moves to the App 1 position, or the firstportion 321.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E and 1OF illustrate examples for amulti-touch input gesture swap of positions for the applicationsaccording to embodiments of this disclosure. The embodiment for gestureswapping of positions of applications as shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C,10D, 10E and 1OF is for illustration only and other embodiments could beused without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 10A and 10B, anelectronic device 300 is in a non-folded state or in tablet mode. InFIG. 10A App 1 and App 2 are being viewed side by side in the firstportion 321 and the second portion 322, respectively, of the foldabledisplay 320. A multi-touch gesture input comprises a user placing onefinger, or a first touch input, 1005 in the first portion 321 of thefoldable display 320, or App 1, and a second finger, or a second touchinput, 1010 in the second portion 321 of the foldable display 320, orApp 2. As the user rotates the fingers in a circular, clockwise, motion,moving the first touch input from App 1 to App 2 and the second touchinput from App 2 to App 1, the electronic device is configured to swapthe display positions of the two applications. FIG. 10B illustrates theresulting configuration wherein App 2 is displayed in the first portion321 of the foldable display 320 and App 1 is displayed in the secondportion 322 of the foldable display 320.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 10C and 10D, anelectronic device 300 is in a non-folded state or in tablet mode andthree applications are displayed on the foldable display 320. In FIG.10C App 1 is displayed in the first portion 321 of the folded display320, App 2 is displayed in an upper portion of the second portion 322 ofthe folded display 320 and App 3 is displayed in a lower portion of thesecond portion 322 of the folded display 320. A multi-touch gestureinput comprises a user placing one finger, or a first touch input, 1015in the upper portion of the second portion 322 of the foldable display320, or App 2, and a second finger, or a second touch input, 1020 in thelower portion of the second portion 321 of the foldable display 320, orApp 3. As the user rotates the fingers in a circular, clockwise, motion,moving the first touch input 1015 from App 2 to App 3 and the secondtouch input 1020 from App 3 to App 2, the electronic device isconfigured to swap the display positions of the two applications. FIG.10D illustrates the resulting configuration wherein App 2 is displayedin the lower portion of the second portion 322 of the foldable display320 and App 3 is displayed in the upper portion of the second portion322 of the foldable display 320.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 10E and 10F, anelectronic device 300 is in a non-folded state or in tablet mode andthree application are displayed on the foldable display 320. In FIG. 10EApp 1 is displayed in the first portion 321 of the folded display 320,App 2 is displayed in an upper portion of the second portion 322 of thefolded display 320 and App 3 is displayed in a lower portion of thesecond portion 322 of the folded display 320. A multi-touch gestureinput comprises a user placing one finger, or a first touch input, 1025in the first portion 321 of the foldable display 320, or App 1; a secondfinger, or a second touch input, 1030 in the upper portion of the secondportion 321 of the foldable display 320, or App 2; and a third finger,or third touch input, 1035 in the lower portion of the second portion321 of the foldable display 320 or App 3. As the user rotates thefingers in a circular, clockwise, motion, moving the first touch input1025 from App 1 to App 2 and the second touch input 1030 from App 2 toApp 3 and the third touch input 1035 from App3 to App 1, the electronicdevice is configured to rotate the display positions of the threeapplications. FIG. 10F illustrates the resulting configuration whereinApp 3 is displayed in the first portion 321 and App 1 is displayed inthe upper portion of the second portion 322 and App 2 is displayed inthe lower portion of the second portion 322 of the foldable display 320.

The multi-touch gesture to swap applications is not limited to theexamples as disclosed above. For example, the multi-touch gesture maymove in a counter-clockwise direction to signal swapping of applicationdisplay positions. Moreover, other variations and embodiments, includingswapping more than two applications at a time may be contemplatedwithout departing from the scope of this disclosure.

FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D illustrate examples of multi-touch inputgestures to go into an overview state according to embodiments of thisdisclosure. The embodiment for gestures to go into an overview state asshown in FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D is for illustration only and otherembodiments could be used without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 11A and 11B, anelectronic device 300 is in a non-folded state or tablet mode. In FIG.11A, App 1 and App 2 are being viewed side by side in the first portion321 and the second portion 322, respectively, of the foldable display320. A user places a first finger, or a first touch input, 1105 in thefirst portion 321 of the foldable display 320 or App 1 and a secondfinger, or a second touch input, 1110 in the second portion 322 of thefoldable display 320 or App 2. The user slides each finger upward asillustrated in FIG. 11A. FIG. 11B illustrates the resulting screen view,wherein App 1 and App2 are displayed as overview screens in the firstportion 321 and second portion 322, respectively, of the foldabledisplay 320.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 11C and 11D, anelectronic device 300 is in a non-folded state or tablet mode. In FIG.11C App 1 and App 2 are displayed as overview screens, viewed side byside in the first portion 321 and the second portion 322, respectively,of the foldable display 320. A user places a first finger, or a firsttouch input, 1115 in the App 1 overview screen and a second finger, or asecond touch input, 1110 in the App 2 overview screen. The user slideseach finger downward as illustrated in FIG. 11C. FIG. 11D illustratesthe resulting screen view wherein App 1 and App 2 are displayed side byside in the first portion 321 and the second portion 322, respectively,of the foldable display 320.

FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D illustrate examples of multi-touch inputgestures to bring back the last application that was closed according toembodiments of this disclosure. The embodiment for gestures to bringback the last application that was closed as shown in FIGS. 12A, 12B,12C and 12D is for illustration only and other embodiments could be usedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 12A and 12B, anelectronic device 300 is in a non-folded state or tablet mode. FIG. 12Aillustrates that App 1 is displayed as a full screen of the foldabledisplay 320. The user places a first finger, or first touch input, 1205on App 1 and places a second finger, or second touch input, 1210 spacedapart from the first touch input 1205 horizontally on App 1. The userslides the fingers from right to left. FIG. 12B illustrates that as aresult of the finger movement, App 1 is displayed in the first portion321 of the foldable display 320 and App 2 is displayed in the secondportion 322 of the foldable display 320. According to embodiments ofthis disclosure, App 2 is displayed because it was the last applicationclosed as a result of a multi-touch input configured to display App 1 asa full screen, such as was described in reference to FIGS. 8A-8B.

Referring to the non-limiting example of FIGS. 12C and 12D the sameresult may be accomplished with another multi-touch configuration. Asillustrated in FIG. 12C, a first finger, or first touch input, 1215 isplaced on the edge of App 1 and a second finger, or second touch input,1220 space apart from the first touch input 1215 vertically on the edgeof App 1. The user slides the fingers from right to left. FIG. 12Dillustrates that as a result of the finger movement, App 1 is displayedin the first portion 321 of the foldable display 320 and App 2 isdisplayed in the second portion 322 of the foldable display 320.According to embodiments of this disclosure, App 2 is displayed becauseit was the last application closed as a result of a multi-touch inputconfigured to display App 1 as a full screen such as was described inreference to FIGS. 8A-8B.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram that illustrates an example method 1300 for auser interface of an application to be fully or partially displayed on afoldable display based on a time duration since an electronic device waslast opened according to embodiments of this disclosure. While the blockdiagram depicts a series of sequential steps, unless explicitly stated,no inference should be drawn from that sequence regarding specific orderof performance, performance of steps or portions thereof serially ratherthan concurrently or in an overlapping manner, or performance of thesteps depicted exclusively without the occurrence of intervening orintermediate steps.

In block 1305, an electronic device 300 is configured to detect anopening of a foldable display 320. An opening of the foldable disp1ay320is when the foldable display 320 goes from a folded state to an unfoldedstate. In block 1310, the electronic device 300 is configured todetermine whether a length of time since the last time the foldabledisplay was closed is within a predetermined amount of time orthreshold. A closing of the foldable display 320 is when the foldabledisplay 320 goes from an unfolded state to a folded state. If the lengthof time is within the threshold, the foldable display 320 will displaythe user interface of the last application according to the resolutionrestrictions of the application. For example, if the user interface ofthe application being displayed before the foldable display 320 wasclosed has resolution restrictions that require a conventional screen,i.e. a small screen or mobile screen configuration, the process moves tostep 1330 where the user interface of the application will be displayedon only a portion of the foldable display 320. On the other hand, if theuser interface of the application being displayed before the foldabledisplay 320 was closed has a resolution restriction that allows theapplication to be viewed on a large screen, or tablet screenconfiguration, the process moves to step 1340 where the user interfaceof the application will be displayed on the full screen of the foldabledisplay 320. If the length of time since the last time the foldabledisplay 320 was closed exceeds the threshold the process proceeds toblock 1315.

According to embodiments of this disclosure, as shown in block 1315, thefoldable display 320 is configured to display a home screen, or homelauncher, in the first portion 321 of the foldable display 320 and theuser interface of the application that was last opened on the secondportion 322 of the foldable display 320 if the length of time since theprevious closing exceeded the threshold.

In block 1320, the electronic device 300 receives a selection of asecond application on the home screen. In block 1325, the electronicdevice 300 determines whether the selected second application isconfigured for conventional screen display or full screen display. Ifthe selected application has resolution restrictions that require aconventional screen, i.e. a small screen or mobile screen configuration,the process moves to step 1330 where the user interface of theapplication will be displayed on only a portion of the foldable display320. The user interface of the selected second application will replacethe home screen in the first portion 321 of the foldable display 320. Onthe other hand, if the selected application has a resolution restrictionthat allows the application to be viewed on a large screen, or tabletmode, the process moves to step 1340 where the user interface of theapplication will be displayed on the full screen of the foldable display320.

In block 1335, the electronic device 300 receives a multi-touch inputgesture on the foldable display 320. The multi-touch input gestureallows for manipulation of the displayed applications includingapplication display size, application display position, entering anapplication overview state and retrieving a closed application. Variousexamples of the manipulation of the displayed applications werepreviously provided in accordance with the illustrations of FIGS. 8Athough 12D.

In block 1340, the electronic device 300 displays the user interface ofthe selected application on the full screen of the foldable display 320according to the determination that the application is configured forfull screen display in block 1325. In block 1345, the user closes thefoldable electronic device 300 and the length of time between theclosing of the electronic device 300 and the re-opening of theelectronic device 300 will be re-determined at block 1305.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram that illustrates an example method 1400 ofdisplaying a user interface of an application either fully or partiallyon the foldable display 320 according to embodiments of this disclosure.While the block diagram depicts a series of sequential steps, unlessexplicitly stated, no inference should be drawn from that sequenceregarding specific order of performance, performance of steps orportions thereof serially rather than concurrently or in an overlappingmanner, or performance of the steps depicted exclusively without theoccurrence of intervening or intermediate steps.

In block 1402, an electronic device 300 is in a folded state, or mobilemode. The non-foldable display 315 presents to the user that theelectronic device 300 is currently locked. The user provides an input tounlock the electronic device 300. In block 1404, the electronic device300 is no longer locked and still in mobile mode. The non-foldabledisplay 315 displays a home screen, or home launcher, that comprises adisplay of a plurality of application icons. In block 1406, the userselects an application icon which corresponds to an application programfrom the home screen on the non-foldable display 315. In block 1408, theuser opens the electronic device 300. The electronic device 300 is nowin an unfolded state, or tablet mode.

In block 1410, the electronic device 300 determines whether the selectedapplication is a responsive application. A responsive application is anapplication that has a user interface that is configured to be displayedon both a small screen (also referred to as a conventional screen suchas on a mobile device) or a large screen (also referred to as the fullscreen of the foldable display). In other words, the user interface of aresponsive application has variable screen sizes. If the selectedapplication is responsive the method proceeds to block 1412. If theselected application is non-responsive the method proceeds to block1418.

Following the method according to the selected application beingresponsive, in block 1412, the electronic device 300 is configured todisplay the user interface of the responsive selected application on thefull screen of the foldable display 320 according to its sizerestrictions (see the example illustrated in FIG. 6 of the applicationsupporting full screen layout).

In block 1414, the user closes the electronic device 300. In block 1416,the user interface of the application that was being displayed on thefull screen of the foldable display 320 is displayed on the non-foldabledisplay 315 as the electronic device 300 enters mobile mode.

Now following the method according to the selected application beingnon-responsive, in block 1418, the user interface of the non-responsiveselected application is displayed on the second portion 322 of thefoldable display 320. In block 1420, the electronic device 300 isconfigured to display the home screen on the first portion 321 of thefoldable display 320(see the example illustrate in FIG. 6 of theapplication not supporting the full screen layout). The home screen andthe user interface of the non-responsive selected application aredisplayed side by side on the foldable display 320. In block 1422, theuser selects a second application from the home screen displayed in thefirst portion 321 of the foldable display 320. The second applicationopens and the user interface of the second application is displayed inthe first portion 321 of the foldable display 320, replacing the homescreen.

In block 1426, the user chooses to close the electronic device 1426 orthe user proceeds to interact with the applications displayed on thefoldable display 320. If the user chooses to close the electronic device300, the process proceeds to block 1428. If the user chooses to keepinteracting with the applications while in tablet mode, the processproceeds to block 1430.

Following the method according to the user closing the electronic device300, in block 1428, the user closes the electronic device 300. Upon theelectronic device closing, the electronic device 300 is configured todisplay on the non-foldable display 315 the user interface of theapplication that was last interacted with by the user on thenon-foldable display 320 in the folded state, or mobile mode.

Next, following the method according to the user choosing to not closethe electronic device 300, in block 1430, the user inputs a multi-touchgesture on the foldable display screen 320, such as the exampledescribed in FIGS. 8A-8D. The multi-touch input gesture allows the userto choose an application from multiple applications that are beingdisplayed in partial portions of the foldable display 320 to bedisplayed on the full screen of the foldable display 320. In block 1432,the electronic device 300 is configured to determine whether theapplication selected by the multi-touch input gesture is a responsiveapplication. If the application is non-responsive the process proceedsto block 1434. If the application is responsive the process proceeds toblock 1436.

In block 1434, the user interface of the non-responsive selectedapplication does not become full screen and remains displayed in theportion of the foldable display 320 as it was before the multi-touchinput gesture. In block 1436, the user interface of the responsiveselected application is displayed on the full screen of the foldabledisplay 320 and the other applications are hidden from view.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram that illustrates an example method 1500 ofdisplaying a user interface of an application on the non-foldabledisplay 315 or the foldable display 320 according to embodiments of thisdisclosure. While the block diagram depicts a series of sequentialsteps, unless explicitly stated, no inference should be drawn from thatsequence regarding specific order of performance, performance of stepsor portions thereof serially rather than concurrently or in anoverlapping manner, or performance of the steps depicted exclusivelywithout the occurrence of intervening or intermediate steps.

In block 1505, the electronic device 300 is configured to determine itsstate. The state can be either a folded, or closed, state, or anunfolded, or open, state. In block 1510, the electronic device 300receives a user input selection of an application program on a homescreen of the electronic device 300. The user input selection of anapplication can be received from a user through the touchscreen of thenon-foldable display 315 or the touchscreen of the foldable display 320.In block 1515, the electronic device 300 determines if the userinterface of the selected application program has size restrictions. Inblock 1520, the electronic device 300 executes instructions to displaythe user interface of the selected application, based on the sizerestriction and the state of the foldable device, on either the foldabledisplay or the non-foldable display. For example, if the foldable deviceis in an unfolded state the user interface of the selected applicationwill be displayed on at least a portion of the foldable display 320based on the size restriction. As another example, if the foldableelectronic device 300 is in the folded state, the user interface of theselected application will be displayed on the non-foldable display 315in response to receiving the selection of the application through thetouchscreen of the non-foldable display 315.

Although various features have been shown in the figures and describedabove, various changes may be made to the figures. For example, thesize, shape, arrangement, and layout of components shown in FIGS. 1through 15, are for illustration only. Each component could have anysuitable size, shape, and dimensions, and multiple components could haveany suitable arrangement and layout. Also, various components in FIGS. 1through 15 could be combined, further subdivided, or omitted andadditional components could be added according to particular needs.Further, each component in a device or system could be implemented usingany suitable structure(s) for performing the described function(s). Inaddition, whiles FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 illustrate various series of steps,various steps in FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 could overlap, occur in parallel,occur multiple times, or occur in a different order.

None of the description in this application should be read as implyingthat any particular element, step, or function is an essential elementthat must be included in the claim scope. The scope of patented subjectmatter is defined only by the claims. Moreover, none of the claims isintended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the exact words “means for”are followed by a participle.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a foldablehousing including: a hinge structure; a first housing structure coupledto the hinge structure; a second housing structure coupled to the hingestructure, wherein the second housing structure is foldable andunfoldable with respect to the first housing structure about the hingestructure, wherein the second housing structure is folded onto the firsthousing structure in a folded state, and wherein the second housingstructure forms a substantially planar surface with the first housingstructure in an unfolded state; a foldable display including a firstportion positioned in the first housing structure and a second portionpositioned in the second housing structure; a processor, operativelyconnected to the foldable display; and a memory operatively connected tothe processor, wherein the memory stores at least one applicationprogram, and further stores instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: receive a first user input to select an applicationprogram among the at least one application program in the folded state;detect a change from the folded state to the unfolded state; determinewhether the selected application program has a user interface sizerestriction; and in the unfolded state, display a user interface of theselected application program on at least a portion of the foldabledisplay, based at least partly on the user interface size restriction.2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions furthercause the processor to display a home screen together with the userinterface of the selected application program on the foldable display,wherein the home screen includes at least one icon representing the atleast one application program.
 3. The electronic device of claim 2,wherein the instructions further cause the processor to display the homescreen on at least a portion of the foldable display and the userinterface of the selected application program on at least part of thesecond portion of the foldable display.
 4. The electronic device ofclaim 3, further comprising a touchscreen display separate from thefoldable display, wherein the instructions cause the processor to, inthe folded state: receive the first user input through the touchscreendisplay, and display a user interface of the selected applicationprogram on at least part of the touchscreen display in response to thefirst user input.
 5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein thetouchscreen display is positioned in an opposite side of the firsthousing structure from the foldable display.
 6. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the instructions cause the processor to, in the foldedstate: receive the first user input through the portion of the foldabledisplay, and display a user interface of the selected applicationprogram on at least part of the first portion of the foldable display inresponse to the first user input.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine whether theselected application program has a user interface size restriction,based at least partly on a manifest file of the selected applicationprogram.
 8. An electronic device comprising: a foldable housingincluding: a hinge structure; a first housing structure coupled to thehinge structure; a second housing structure coupled to the hingestructure, wherein the second housing structure is foldable andunfoldable with respect to the first housing structure about the hingestructure, wherein the second housing structure is folded onto the firsthousing structure in a folded state, and wherein the second housingstructure forms a substantially planar surface with the first housingstructure in an unfolded state; a foldable display including a firstportion positioned in the first housing structure and a second portionpositioned in the second housing structure; a processor operativelyconnected to the foldable display; at least one sensor operativelyconnected to the processor; and a memory operatively connected to theprocessor, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed,cause the processor to: receive a first user input that causes a firstuser interface to be displayed in the folded state; detect a change fromthe folded state to the unfolded state; select a second user interfacebased at least partly on at least one context parameter; and in theunfolded state, display the first user interface and the second userinterface on at least a portion of the foldable display.
 9. Theelectronic device of claim 8, wherein the memory stores a firstapplication program that includes the first user interface, and a secondapplication program that includes the second user interface.
 10. Theelectronic device of claim 9, further comprising a touchscreen displayseparate from the foldable display, wherein the instructions cause theprocessor to, in the folded state: receive the first user input throughthe touchscreen display, and display the first user interface of thefirst application program on at least part of the touchscreen display inresponse to the first user input.
 11. The electronic device of claim 9,wherein the instructions cause the processor to, in the folded state:receive the first user input through the first portion of the foldabledisplay, and display the first user interface of the first applicationprogram on at least part of the first portion of the foldable display inresponse to the first user input.
 12. The electronic device of claim 9,wherein the sensor includes a location sensor, and wherein theinstructions cause the processor to determine at least one contextparameter, based in part on data from the location sensor.
 13. Theelectronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one context parameteris associated with at least one of time, location, information on thefirst application program, a user history, a user information, a user'spurchase information, or a user's calendar information.
 14. Theelectronic device of claim 9, wherein the first application programincludes one of a map application program, an e-commerce applicationprogram, or an email application program, and wherein the secondapplication program includes at least one of a shopping applicationprogram, a ticket application program, a travel application program, areminder application program, a list application program, or a calendarapplication program.
 15. An electronic device comprising: a foldablehousing including: a hinge structure; a first housing structure coupledto the hinge structure; a second housing structure coupled to the hingestructure, wherein the second housing structure is foldable andunfoldable with respect to the first housing structure about the hingestructure, wherein the second housing structure is folded onto the firsthousing structure in a folded state, and wherein the second housingstructure forms a substantially planar surface with the first housingstructure in an unfolded state; a foldable display including a firstportion positioned in the first housing structure and a second portionpositioned in the second housing structure; a processor operativelyconnected to the foldable display; and a memory operatively connected tothe processor, wherein the memory stores at least one applicationprogram, and further stores instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: display a first user interface in a first size of a firstapplication program on the foldable display in the unfolded state;detect a first change from the unfolded state to the folded state; afterdetecting the first change, detect a second change from the folded stateto the unfolded state; after detecting the second change, determine alength of time between the first change and the second change; thelength of time is within a selected period of time, display the firstuser interface in the first size on the foldable display in the unfoldedstate; if the length of time exceeds the selected period of time,display the first user interface in a second size different from thefirst size on the foldable display in the unfolded state, or not displaythe first user interface on the foldable display in the unfolded state.16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the instructions furthercause the processor to: if the length of time exceeds the selectedperiod of time, display, on the foldable display in the unfolded state,the first user interface in the second size smaller than the first size,and a home screen that includes at least one icon representing the atleast one application program.
 17. The electronic device of claim 15,wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: if the lengthof time exceeds the selected period of time, display, on the foldabledisplay in the unfolded state, a home screen that includes at least oneicon representing the at least one application program, withoutdisplaying the first user interface on the foldable display.
 18. Theelectronic device of claim 17, wherein the instructions further causethe processor to: if the length of time exceeds the selected period oftime, display, on the foldable display in the unfolded state, a seconduser interface of a second application program different from the firstapplication program.
 19. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein thefirst size is substantially the same as the size of the foldabledisplay.
 20. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the first sizeis smaller than the size of the foldable display.